ALL THAT REMAINS Book 3

Chapter 10; Lacrimosa

We got out of the city the next day. It was still bright enough outside to move. The sun burned our faces with a warm feeling. There wasn't any cloud cover, I was looking up and a inverted ocean. The wind was strong, beating my face to a pulp. I could see the grass outside the city moving in a wave formation in the distance. The glow shinned back into my eyes. We where walking. There was no working vehicle in the city or one out here. The trees whispered in the wind, moving like they where dancing. I could smell crops in the distance, it was weat. Out so season I would presume. Jaziel followed close behind me. The trees shaded our faces from time to time. We would be in Washington within the next day or so. So close, so close to death, so close to victory. This would be a Pyrrhic victory.

I've been around the US, not even knowing what the rest of the world looked like. What it's like now, and how it was before. I've seen so much death, killed so many, I've lost count....

It made me angry just thinking about it. So much anger and hatred built up inside, and for what. For the day I explode, for the day I let it all out and hurt more people. I started out not being able to put a bullet in someone. Not being able to kill, not being able to take someone's life. All I every thought about was that I was taking someone's family away from them. I don't think like that anymore. I kill like its a normal thing, it doesn't bother me. It's like all the death drives me with energy, it drives me with the will! I've killed Jessica, the only person who ever looked out for me in this world. I killed her in cold blood. I would have to live with that forever!

I fell to my knees thinking of it and began to sob in tears. Jaziel quickly ran up to me and got down on his knees.

"What's wrong man?" He asked. It didn't take him long to think of what I was thinking.

"Stop thinking of that shit! It's destroying you! It wasn't your fault, you didn't have control over yourself!" I whipped my tears off my face and got back up on my feet. He joined me.

"Are you cool?" He asked looking mad. I nodded my head and he slapped the back of my head.

"Alright, keep your head in the game..." We continued on walking for some time until we approached a small town. The name of the town on the welcome sign was scratched out. I knew we where in Oregon at least. It was cold once the sun got covered up by the mountains. This town was small, probably the size of my hometown. We entered the town with guns in hand acting like we where ready for anything. It was dark, darker than dark. The sun was blocked, we had to use our flashlights. I turned mine on. There where mostly trucks in the town, covered in rust of course. There where a few cars but not many. My main goal as of now was finding the police station, we needed more ammo.

"How are you holding up?" Asked Jaziel from behind me. I didn't respond trying to focus on finding the police station. To our luck we found it within the hour. It was small, just like the town. The entire base of the building was glass windows, didn't make sense but honestly I didn't care. We found ammo and some food in the police station. The sun has raise by the time we exited the station so we turned our flashlights off. There where huge steps that lead up to the police station door that we had to go back down. I heard a loud pop and a snap. Jaziel let out a cry of pain and I watched blood squirt out of his ankle. He fell down and rolled down the steps leaving a trace of blood. I quickly ran down the steps and grabbed him under the arms dragging him into a near by building. He was bleeding out fast, his entire foot was almost gone. He crying out in pain. I knew he was going to bleed out no matter what, I could see his vein pouring out the blood.

"Argh! Hurry hurry, end it end it!" I shook my head with my eyes closed as I pulled out my gun. I pointed it at his head and pulled the trigger. There was silence for some time, until I heard a soda can move behind me. I turned around to see a guy in a black hoodie looking down at me. He was skinny and had a rifle on his back. He pulled out a hatchet and began to walk close to me. When he got near me he swung the hatchet at me. I ducked and rolled away from him pulling out my knife. I was up against a wooden counter. He swung the hatchet at at me head but I dodged that on to. His hatchet got stuck in the wood. He struggled trying to get it out. I quickly reacted by jumping on his back and jabbing my knife into his eye. He let out a cry of pain as I dragged the knife through his eye and across his face. It wasn't doing what I wanted to. I I took the knife out and jabbed it into his mouth. He began to drown on his own blood. I felt his blood run out of his mouth and on my hand. Eventually he stopped resisting and fell down to the ground. I pulled the knife out which was covered in blood along with my hand.

"Fucking disgusting" I said wiping as much of it off as I could. I fell down into a siting position up against a shelf. I looked over at Jaziel who was lying there limp. I shook my head. I just got to see him again and now he's dead. It's not like I wasn't used to it. Was I used to it? I listened as the wind got more violent. I stood back up and walked to the door I entered in from. I looked back over my shoulder at Jaziel.

"I'm finishing this, for you, for Jessica, for Cameron, and the others. This ends tomorrow...." That was the last thing I said before stepping back into the outside...